Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-10-19
TRAINING Y a RIM ANIMALS.

Il
| Kindness the Secret az NIanReing and
Subduing Horses and G.
Whom one lis SO sl# chasing around Il
ltield aftel. 4 horse unwilling to Be
caught on 4 COW which has objections
,ggainst being MIXED lie is paying the
ponalty for sbadly training his animals,
Tho old aGage. . AS the ,tWig is bent
the trees inclined, Z applies to tho
mana cement Of farm animals BY
proper training every animal may DO
brought under such discipline that
It's after management may be pleasant
and easy, and this system Of training
should be general, and not rs it is,
quite rare and exceptional. All train
ling Of animals, as that Of trees and
plants, should be done in youth, when
habits sand instinctive proclivities have
not become permanently fixed. Horses
jshould be trained when colts and when
running with the dam, and the educa-
ton should be followed up continually
as long rs the horse lives, for Ii orses -
/ like me n;-are ever too old to learn. Il
The first lesson given to a colt should
be to come to his owner outstretchod
hand. The hand should be always sig
niticant Of friendship and kindness.
and not Of danger or cause for fear.
Some little thing that is agreeable-a
few grains Of corn, a piece of bread,
a little salt, or, what is most enticing,
q little sugar.or an apple-will make
mn attractive morsel that will always
be associated with the offered hand.
Gentle stroking of the neck, patting
on the back and any friendly petting
act is grateful to horse, whose dis
position is natural kind and friendly
to its owner. A well-!raincd horse
is never SO we'll pleased rs when a
kind owner mounts the saddle or takes
the ycins behind him. or when he sees
him at tho fence or the gate, and comes
to him with ~ friendly wlainny. Every
! owner should become we'll acquainted
with his horses, should feed and tend
to- them occas ionally, and if stable
| work is always done by hired help the
j owner should often 60 to the STALLS.
stroke and pet his animals. and give
them some little dclicacy. =
This treatment should be begun
with the sucking colt and continued
without break. If any disc bedience
is committed in the training short
and a smart slap or some palpable
rebuke will always be effective with a
colt, and aftcrward with the horse.
A part of the training of a horse
should be leading by lis owner, any
where or everywhere, and in all sorts
Of difficult places. among rocks, logs
and brush, in rough countries, and
sthis will teach the animal confidence
! in its owner, so that afterward it can
be taken anywhere without fear and
with safety. Horses have been thus
taught 10 walk narrow bridges and
foot logs over streams, to pass the
/ toughest of rocky fords, to go through
many places belly deep. and every
where with confidence under the di-
rection of the owner. The trained
| Southern saddle horse will ford
streams that are frozen over, break-
ing the ice rs he goes with his feet,
and is perfectly safe upon the
toughest mountain trails and in
dense forest paths, needing only
q word of encouragement and guild
ance. A whistle will bring him from
the furthest part of large field, and
at the sight of his mistress at the gate
he will come up 10 take the expected
biscuit or apple from her hand. With
all animals this should be the rule,
and even yearling mule colts should
come at call to be stroked and pettcd
and get . corn car or a bunch of fresh
grass. Mules are quite as susceptible
of training in~this way as horses, and
even asses are wise enough to know
when they are kindly treated and re.
! turn the kindness by docility. -
/ Animals thus trained need no break
ing Trey are ready to do any thing
for. their owner, and, lis soon as they
know what is wanted. they will exert
all their power to- do it. To know
what they are to do is the great thing
needfal,' and in, the later training fol-
4 work, which follows training for docil-
j ity and kind disposition, this is to be
taught by easy stops and short lessons.
It is the same with cows and even
: with bulls The calf is the thing to
train and Kindness is the secret OF
training. Firmness to repress any OK
! uberanco Of rough playfulncss and to
enforce attention to business is need.
j ed, but this may be done with gentle.
ness, although some pain may be, in
flicted.' "Breaking heifors'' is q term
we dislike. 1t entails useless labor on
the owner and worries and annoys the
animal. It should be done by prepar-
atory lessons and early discipline and
training. Ev Ell young steers may be
] trained to tho yoke by easy stages. and
! ycarlings should be brought to work
and taught their business before the
4 hard labor of maturity comes along.
Cows especially need training, and Il
avoids much loss Of time and leg
8 WEAKNESS when they arc taught t.
~ ~. ~.